We in the reproductive rights community have cultivated this idea that the only stories we can tell about young people are ones that involve the threat of abuse. This makes it seem as if we tacitly approve of the idea that only people in danger are worthy of our understanding.

“The fetus basically gets two lawyers to try and stop the minor from getting an abortion in a way that no other state’s law comes close to doing,” said Andrew Beck, one of the ACLU attorneys challenging the Alabama law on behalf of a Montgomery abortion clinic, arguing it is unconstitutional.

The bill would require both parents or the legal guardian of a minor to be notified that the minor is seeking an abortion, with no exception for medical emergency or in cases of abuse, assault, incest, or neglect.

The Tennessee Supreme Court has an opportunity to reject a dangerous legal interpretation that holds statutory rape victims can be considered accomplices in the crime committed against them. But will it?

My first trip for a Plan B pill was a cold, dreary bus ride up Lake Shore Drive to the Planned Parenthood in downtown Chicago. I remember looking out over the frozen lake, wondering what would happen if I couldn’t get the pill that afternoon. I was 15, and not ready to deal with making the decision between pregnancy and abortion. (At 22, I can
confidently say that I’m still not.)